Re: [microsound] Is microsound boring?

[Guillaume Grenier <gollum@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 22/07/02 22:22, James Harkins said in living color:

> Dale, I never said there was no wisdom there. I think a lot of
> avant-garde musicians (and artists) delude themselves into thinking
> that they're doing so-called "important" work, when often, it's just
> stupid. And the entire contemporary art world has degraded to the
> point where we're afraid to say "Look, that just sucks." Maybe that's
> because being "open-minded" is seen as a greater virtue than having
> discernment; nobody wants to be seen as someone who just doesn't "get
> it." Or maybe it's because we're afraid of someone saying that our
> work is stupid. In that case, the avant-garde posture, rather than
> being courageous and cutting edge, becomes a way to avoid the risk of
> evaluation. With no risk, there's no edge and no courage.

I agree with pretty much everything that was said above in living color. And
I think these are very important points. I feel the phenomena you've
described (with complementary self-congratulory practices) is very harmful
to the development of experimental music (hmm... that's strange... I
realised you don't seem to use the plural form of "music" in English...).

The critical sense (or lack thereof) deployed by a vast number of
practitioners/listeners in new music never fails to astound me.

> (And what's so great about being cutting-edge anyway?)

I thought you liked cutting-edge, two sentences ago? Courageous and
cutting-edge = good; avant-garde posture = bad? :) (Also, I must admit I had
a quibble with the construct "avant-garde posture". To me, that implies a
voluntary attempt to adopt some kind of treacherous behavior, a portrayal
which I feel is not entirely accurate... [emphasis on entirely ;)])

I must admit I'm confused by this seemingly contradictory comment...

> Again, I have to emphasize that not all avant-gardists are guilty in
> this way! I have to emphasize that because there's a knee-jerk
> reaction in the avant-garde world: when you stop playing the game of
> inflating bad artists' egos, someone invariably steps in to accuse
> you of tarring the entire scene with a broad brush.

So very true.

> I've had enough experiences of powerful-yet-difficult music to note that the
> kind of healing I was talking about can be found in sounds that on the surface
> are anything but healing. Another example would be Vox 5 from Trevor Wishart's
> _Vox_ cycle which for all its strangeness has, for me, the same elemental
> power as Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Awe before the unfathomable forces of
> nature. Stunning. I heard Vox 5 in a concert in Champaign, Ill. almost ten
> years ago, the full quadraphonic version, and was totally blown away. I'll
> never forget it. (I also can't remember a single other piece that was
> performed/presented that night -- they were all that forgettable -- including
> a piece by the European modernist darling Kaija Saariaho -- totally overrated.
> Yawn!)

Most of what I've heard by Trevor Wishart, I liked a lot. Among those I
remember particularly liking, "Tongues of Fire" (I hope that's the correct
title; I do not have any of his releases -- I really ought to get some of
them in a not too distant future). There was one rather "messy" piece (not
electronic, I think) that I liked less, but I don't remember its name...

Is this "Vox" cycle you're raving about available on CD (and if it's not,
what about individual fragments)? Your comments have intrigued me...


I actually like quite a bit the music I've heard by Kaija Saariaho (which is
currently limited to the "Private Gardens" release on Ondine). "Lonh", in
particular, is pretty great, with fantastic singing from Dawn Upshaw
exploiting somewhat archaic melodic ideas put in a fascinating light by
Saariaho's attentive treatments.

For those unfamiliar with Saariaho's work, she is part of what is called the
"spectral" school. (But, as with all "schools", the spectral one doesn't
really exist... And her music has almost nothing to do with, say,
Dumitrescu's.) She crafts very delicate music that blends electronics very
subtly with traditional instruments. I know it's an horrible cliché, but I
can't help it: I really like the feminine sensibility that shows (flows?)
through this music.

> If I'm cynical about the avant-garde, it's because I know the
> potential of the avant-garde and it makes me angry when that
> potential is squandered. It might make me seem closed-minded, but I
> really just want not to let talented artists off the hook.
> 
> James


g.

-- 
Guillaume Grenier - gollum@xxxxxxxxxxxx

in space there is no north  in space there is no south
in space there is no east   in space there is no west